Safety first: why Giro del Trentino Melinda cut down in-race vehicles

Due to increased number of accidents in cycling races, UCI announces new restrictive measures. GS Alto Garda already moved in the right direction, having cut the number of in-race vehicles by 30% in the 2016 edition

After another very serious accident happened in a cycling race, at the Tour of Belgium, with very severe consequences reported by a rider, the International Cycling Union took an official position with a press release yesterday, stressing the criticality of the issue as testified by the number and gravity of in-race accidents happened this year, including the fatality of late young Belgian athlete Antoine Demoitiè, passed away after being run over by a motorbike at Gent-Wevelgem. In the press release, UCI announced an increased effort to make safety regulations even stricter, possibly determining a maximum number of in-race vehicles allowed.

“It’s a very delicate issue – said Giacomo Santini, President of GS Alto Garda, organizing company of 40th Giro del Trentino Melinda – and the UCI is correctly taking it in charge with determination. I think organizers should also become more conscious of this critical problem, since it involves the riders’ health and safety. We are proud to say that, already in 2016, we have significantly reduced the number of cars and motorbikes in our race, keeping in only those that were strictly necessary to the race service. We reduced the overall number of vehicles by over 30% compared to the past. The race was run in the maximum safety, so that motivates us to continue in the same direction, for the best interest of everybody – the riders in first place. We are sure that even those that were skeptical of our decision, will now understand that safety really comes first.”